“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17 ESV).

If there is one thing that humans don’t like, it is suffering. We don’t like talking about it. We don’t like looking at it. We certainly don’t want to suffer ourselves. And more than anything, we don’t want to suffer if it was caused by someone else.

Yet, suffering is exactly what we learn from the Scriptures and experience in our daily lives. Paul tells us plainly that death reigned because of the sin of Adam. The sin of Adam became our sin, and we live it every day. We suffer because of the sin that is passed down, and we suffer even more because of our own sins that we commit every day.

Thanks be to God that Jesus comes amid our suffering and the death that reigns in the world. Paul confesses that we receive an “abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness,” all through Jesus Christ. It is the ongoing work of Jesus in our midst, through the means of grace, that we receive as we gather as God’s people. As we journey through Lent together, we get to hear again and again the work of Jesus, how He works for us and for our salvation.

The church is blessed by this reality. We know that in every generation, in every community, and in every circumstance, the church will see suffering. We witness it and experience it. Yet, we are the people who have an answer to suffering. No civic organization, no government, and no other religion can answer death with life. We proclaim Jesus who suffers, dies, and rises, a Savior who has defeated death itself. That gives us confidence as we share the good news of Jesus and His saving work.

Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the lifeblood
From His sacred veins! (Glory Be to Jesus, LSB 433:1)

In Christ,

Rev. Samuel M. Powell
Third Vice President, Missouri District